Healthy Lifestyle's Fit Squad

The Community Nutrition, Weight Management and Physical Activity Service, which is also known as the Healthy Lifestyle Service’s Fit Squad, run free weight management and physical activity programmes across Central, West Lancashire and Hyndburn. These schemes are aimed at patients who require weight management advice and support with increasing their levels of physical activity within their everyday lives.

Food 4 Thought free weight management course - A seven week programme designed for overweight clients with BMIs over 25 to help change eating habits through education, activity and behaviour change techniques. 1:1 or group support continues for up to 12 months after the initial course.

Activity for Life Physical Activity Scheme - A GP exercise on referral scheme. It is a 12 week supported scheme enabling individuals to take on a tailored exercise programme to increase the amount of activity in their daily lives.

The service provides training for staff, key partners and community groups in nutrition using healthy eating principles, weight management and physical activity aims to build capacity to deliver interventions to improve healthy weight.

The service also provides Workplace Health Enhanced/Specialist Weight Management Programme, Community Nutrition Advice, Education Health & Community Engagement Events and Health Awareness Sessions. This is achieved by using a variety of prevention, training/teaching and treatment strategies including behavioural change techniques and community engagement approaches.

In Hyndburn only, we provide:

Cardiac Rehabilitation - A 12 week group education and physical activity programme for people that suffer with heart conditions. To attend this programme you must be referred by a health professional.

Stepping Out - Weekly-organised led walks within the local area open to everyone, ranging from short 30 minute walks to longer walks. For more information visit the Stepping Out page.

Food for Thought

Anybody 16 plus who has a Body Mass Index (BMI) over 25 can self-refer into the weight management service through the Fitsquad website, by phone or by email.

Where the service is provided

We run Food for Thought Sessions from various locations including:

St Marys Health Centre, Cop Lane, Penwortham

Minerva Health Centre

Highfield Children’s Centre

Leyland Clinic, Yewlands Drive, Leyland

Sandy Lane Health Centre, Skelmersdale

Burscough Health Centre, Burscough

Tarleton Health Centre, Tarleton

Exercise Referral Scheme

Patients will not be eligible for referral if they are currently engaged in a regular routine of moderate intensity physical activity, i.e. being active on three or more occasions per week, for thirty minutes or more and/or accessing a leisure facility.

Clients accessing the scheme must be:

Over 16 years of age

Deemed physically inactive (those engaging in less than 30 minutes in total of moderate intensity physical activity per week)

For any general enquiries relating to the Healthy Lifestyles Service;Tel. 01254 380448Email: HealthyLifestyleReferrals@lancashirecare.nhs.uk - See more at: http://www.lancashirecare.nhs.uk/Services/Children-Families/Health-Improvement-Service/Nutrition-Physical-Activity/Healthy-Lifestyles-Hyndburn.php#sthash.9YSMWYJu.dpuf